EAST RUTHERFORD — In the end, Mike Adams never got to walk to his Paterson home.

Adams had said earlier in the week that if the Broncos beat the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl, he'd make the 9.2-mile trek from MetLife Stadium to the house he bought for his grandmother, Mary, a decade ago in his hometown.

Instead, Adams and the rest of Denver's players — including three other with deep Garden State roots — left hanging their heads as underdog Seattle smashed the Broncos, 43-8, on Sunday.

Middletown's Knowshon Moreno had a rough night, gaining just 17 yards on five carries. Jersey City's Robert Ayers, a defensive end, couldn't catch Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Nor could fellow defensive end Shaun Phillips, who went to Willingboro High School.

But just because the loss happened in N.J. didn't make it any worse, Adams said.

"It hurts the same," said Adams, a safety and former Passaic Tech star. "If we were in California, it would hurt the same. I mean, we lost. I don't like losing. Just because I'm in Jersey, it doesn't feel any different. But it hurts. A loss is a loss."

Ayers agreed.

"We could have been playing in Canada or wherever and this loss would have still hurt wherever it was played," Ayers said. "It's tough. I enjoyed the experience here. We didn't want to end the season like this but unfortunately we did, and we've got to move on."

Moreno said he was more disappointed about letting down his locker room than his home state.

"It's painful all the way around," he said. "It really didn't matter where the Super Bowl was held. It's going to hurt the same. It just hurts that you didn't get that win for those guys in that locker room, and be able to bring it back home."

Not even being around family soon after the loss could comfort Adams, he said.

"No, that don't help," he said. "It's still a loss. That don't change the fact we got an L. It's good seeing the family but we took an L and that's what I didn't want to do."